Hello everyone, I am new here. Just wanted to say great distro, I run Fedora usually though. However, when I want a Linux system up and running with as little hassle as possible I always choose Mint. I also recommend Linux Mint to everyone that inquires with me about trying Linux for the first time. Keep up the awesome work, you guys rock!

That aside, I wanted to talk about the Cinnamon DE, and I gotta say I think you guys hit the ball out of the park on this one. I just installed it on Fedora 16 in VirtualBox today and it really blew my mind. I started using XFCE as my DE as a result of Gnome-Shell, and don't even get me started on Ubuntu's Unity. Seems to me Gnome-Shell just requires too many clicks to get anything done, and I don't want to learn a bunch of new keyboard shortcuts. It's a common complaint about Gnome-Shell that is well known around the web.

I do have a suggestion for Cinnamon though. In the time I have spent with XFCE I have really grown fond of its right-click applications menu. If you were to implement that in Cinnamon and that beautiful applications menu could appear anywhere on the desktop by merely right-clicking on it... Well I'd probably have a technogasm in my shorts... lol. Just a thought, it may or may not fit in with your vision of where Cinnamon is going, still I just wanted to put the idea out there.

Will try to pop in on a regular basis and maybe help answer some questions on the forums here. I have been running Linux as my main OS since 2005 so I may be able to help some people.

I've just been testing Cinnamon 1.2 under Arch. I'm one of those strange people who actually likes Gnome Shell, but I like testing out new stuff, and Cinnamon has some nice ideas. Two questions though -

1) Is there some way to make the search function on the menu more precise? I usually use the search function in Gnome Shell (as well as the ones in Windows 7 and OS X for the matter) as a quick way of starting an application using only the keyboard. To give an example - under Gnome Shell I can open the terminal by hitting Win-t-e-r-Return (I think even 't-e' may be sufficient). In Cinnamon, 't-e-r' brings up Caribou as the first result, and terminal is at the bottom. 't-e-r-m' brings up "Root Terminal", at which point I have to press the down arrow to select Terminal. I appreciate there was probably a design decision to make the search results more general, it makes the search process slower.

2) I noticed on screenshots from older versions of Cinnamon that the Gnome Shell overlay was still available, but in newer versions, it only displays the windows open on the current desktop. Is there any way to re-enable more features on the overlay?

ch_123 wrote:I've just been testing Cinnamon 1.2 under Arch. I'm one of those strange people who actually likes Gnome Shell, but I like testing out new stuff, and Cinnamon has some nice ideas. Two questions though -

1) Is there some way to make the search function on the menu more precise? I usually use the search function in Gnome Shell (as well as the ones in Windows 7 and OS X for the matter) as a quick way of starting an application using only the keyboard. To give an example - under Gnome Shell I can open the terminal by hitting Win-t-e-r-Return (I think even 't-e' may be sufficient). In Cinnamon, 't-e-r' brings up Caribou as the first result, and terminal is at the bottom. 't-e-r-m' brings up "Root Terminal", at which point I have to press the down arrow to select Terminal. I appreciate there was probably a design decision to make the search results more general, it makes the search process slower.

2) I noticed on screenshots from older versions of Cinnamon that the Gnome Shell overlay was still available, but in newer versions, it only displays the windows open on the current desktop. Is there any way to re-enable more features on the overlay?

In answer to question 2, no, right now you can't use the gnome shell overlay. Clem, however, plans to have a horizontal workspace switcher. There was no applications section since the first cinnamon, and the search was removed very shortly after. The only section besides windows was themes, and that is now incorporated into cinnamon settings.

ch_123 wrote:1) Is there some way to make the search function on the menu more precise? I usually use the search function in Gnome Shell (as well as the ones in Windows 7 and OS X for the matter) as a quick way of starting an application using only the keyboard. To give an example - under Gnome Shell I can open the terminal by hitting Win-t-e-r-Return (I think even 't-e' may be sufficient). In Cinnamon, 't-e-r' brings up Caribou as the first result, and terminal is at the bottom. 't-e-r-m' brings up "Root Terminal", at which point I have to press the down arrow to select Terminal. I appreciate there was probably a design decision to make the search results more general, it makes the search process slower.

Not sure what you're asking here, how would the search function know that you want "Terminal" and not "Root terminal" or any other application filtered with t-e-r? On my machine the application search in Cinnamon and Gnome Shell are identical, brings up the same results in the same order (haven't investigated it methodically but at least I don't notice any difference between the two). If there is a difference it is in how Gnome Shell remembers your searches and puts search "favoruites" on top where the mint menu doesn't remember and filter search terms by search history.

The quickest way to open the terminal is Ctrl+alt+t by the way

ch_123 wrote:2) I noticed on screenshots from older versions of Cinnamon that the Gnome Shell overlay was still available, but in newer versions, it only displays the windows open on the current desktop. Is there any way to re-enable more features on the overlay?

Cinnamon (current git version, not 1.3.1) now has a separate workspace expo overlay conjured up with Ctrl+alt+up. I don't know why Cinnamon has two separate overlays, one showing windows in current workspace and one showing all workspaces - Gnome Shell's combining the two seems a better idea and easier to use (but maybe not for the average minter, I've found out I have little in common with the average minter!)

Thank you for this thread. That’s all I can say. You most definitely have made this forum into something special. You clearly know what you are doing, you’ve covered so many bases. Thanks!

ch_123 wrote:I've just been testing Cinnamon 1.2 under Arch. I'm one of those strange people who actually likes Gnome Shell, but I like testing out new stuff, and Cinnamon has some nice ideas. Two questions though -

1) Is there some way to make the search function on the menu more precise? I usually use the search function in Gnome Shell (as well as the ones in Windows 7 and OS X for the matter) as a quick way of starting an application using only the keyboard. To give an example - under Gnome Shell I can open the terminal by hitting Win-t-e-r-Return (I think even 't-e' may be sufficient). In Cinnamon, 't-e-r' brings up Caribou as the first result, and terminal is at the bottom. 't-e-r-m' brings up "Root Terminal", at which point I have to press the down arrow to select Terminal. I appreciate there was probably a design decision to make the search results more general, it makes the search process slower.

Gnome-do.

I came from osx and couldn't imagine living without quicksilver, so before I cam to the free world I checked if there was something similar. Fortunately there is:)

Cinnamon's menu has the same basic functionality as Gnome-Do (semantic application launcher). So does Gnome Shell and Unity for that matter. Gnome-Do is only needed if you use the keyboard to launch everything and aren't happy with only being able to launch applications and main folders (Cinnamon), or only applications and main folders and recently used files and folders (Gnome Shell and Unity).

Thank you for this thread. That’s all I can say. You most definitely have made this forum into something special. You clearly know what you are doing, you’ve covered so many bases. Thanks!

bimsebasse wrote: Gnome-Do is only needed if you use the keyboard to launch everything and aren't happy with only being able to launch applications and main folders (Cinnamon), or only applications and main folders and recently used files and folders (Gnome Shell and Unity).

yup, that's me! Why click and type when you can just type?

tho I'm sure I could be shown how to do things just as easily without gnome-do...

The new workspace expo feature has now in the latest version from git replaced the overview and it works really well. Instead of windows and workspaces being separated like in Gnome Shell they're now in Cinnamon integrated in a very satisfying manner. I think everyone who thought the disappearance of workspaces from the overview a regression will will appreciate the new expo.

Once again well done Cinnamon dev team

Thank you for this thread. That’s all I can say. You most definitely have made this forum into something special. You clearly know what you are doing, you’ve covered so many bases. Thanks!